Southern Region, Malawi

Southern Region
Southern Region
Region
	Southern Region in Malawi
	Coordinates: 15°40′S 34°58′E / 15.667°S 34.967°E
Country	Malawi
Capital	Blantyre
Area
• Total	31,753 km2 (12,260 sq mi)
Population (2018 Census)
• Total	7,750,629
• Density	240/km2 (630/sq mi)

The Southern Region of Malawi is an area of Malawi. It covers an area of 31,753 km². Its capital city is Blantyre. In 2018, its population was 7,750,629.^[1]

Geography

Domestically, the Southern Region borders the Central Region and Lake Malawi to the north.^[2] Internationally, it borders the country of Mozambique to the east, west, and south.^[2]

Of the 28 districts in Malawi, 13 are located within the Southern Region: Balaka, Blantyre, Chikwawa, Chiradzulu, Machinga, Mangochi, Mulanje, Mwanza, Neno, Nsanje, Phalombe, Thyolo, and Zomba.^[3]

The region is home to several parks: Majete Wildlife Reserve, Lengwe National Park, and Liwonde National Park (the last of these on the Shire River).^[3] It is also home to the Zomba Plateau as well as Mount Mulanje (the highest point in the country).^[4]

During July, the region sometimes experiences a damp fog, locally known as chiperoni.^[4]

Demographics

A crowd of children in 2024

The Southern Region is home to about half of all Malawians.^[5] Of these, about 90% of them live in rural areas.^[5]

As of 2003, the Southern Region has a slightly higher rate of poverty (68.1%) than the Central Region (62.8%) and the Northern Region (62.5%).^[6] This is due to migration into the region, as well as the region's relatively small cropland are per capita.^[6]

Ethnic groups

At the time of the 2018 Census of Malawi, the distribution of the population of the Southern Region by ethnic group was as follows:^[7]

39.3% Lomwe
24.9% Yao
8.3% Ngoni
8.2% Sena
6.8% Mang'anja
6.6% Chewa
3.8% Nyanja
0.9% Tumbuka
0.4% Tonga
0.1% Nkhonde
0.0% Lambya
0.0% Sukwa
0.7% Others

Society

The village of Ntaja, in Machinga District, as seen in 2017

Economy

Cattle are quite important to the Southern Region as well as to Malawi as a whole.^[5] As of 1969, they made up about one third of the country's national slaughter,^[5] and the region had a population of about 78,998 cows.^[5]

Healthcare and disease

Kwashiorkor exists in the Southern Region at a prevalence of about 1.8% as of 1995.^[8] It is most common among babies aged between 1 and 1.5 years old, and often co-occurs with dysentery.^[8] Lymphatic filariasis and antigenaemia are also quite common, especially in the east.^[9]

Violence against nurses is quite common in the region, with about 70% of nurses reporting workplace violence as of 2016.^[10] Most abuse occurs in the form of verbal abuse and threatening behavior, with physical assault and sexual assault being less common.^[10] Patients make up the largest segment of perpetrators.^[10]